1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to data throughput control, and more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for improving data throughput by dynamically adjusting a window size of a communication protocol layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
With rapid development in technology, a user may easily connect to a network using desktop computers, notebook computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or smart phones. In order for electronic equipment having varying specifications to be able to communicate with the same network, an OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) network model has been provided by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) for managing the network intercommunication between two systems.
In a network environment in compliance with the OSI model, each layer of a receiving device or a transmitting device is configured to recognize data from the same layer. Data packets are sequentially transmitted from the top layer to the bottom layer of a transmitting network device and then transmitted to a receiving network device using application programs. After receiving data packages, the receiving network device sequentially unpacks each data package, which is then distributed to a corresponding layer thereof. Note that each layer may have varying transmission parameters and buffer sizes for their respective processing tasks. However, data stall may occur when data is being transmitted from a faster higher layer to a slower lower layer. Meanwhile, a faster lower layer may not improve overall data throughput, if a higher layer encounters an insufficient data buffer or transmission blockages.